White-faced Heron

Egretta novaehollandiae (Latham, 1790)

≈53 cmLength106 cmWingspan559 gWeight

It has a pale blue-gray body, a white face and yellow legs.

Busiest months: January and October–November · Most records: Australia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island

Least Concern

How to identify

Field marks

Body mostly pale blue-gray
White forehead, crown, chin and upper throat
Black lores
Black bill, often pale gray at the base

Male, female and young

Immatures are paler gray, with white confined to the throat and often a reddish wash on the underparts.

Voice

Often gives a harsh, coarse, low “graak” or “graaw”.

Where and when it's recorded

Busiest months: January and October–November · Most records: Australia, New Zealand, Norfolk Island

White-faced Heron has been recorded at 407 of the 8,276 birding hotspots we track, in 13 countries and regions.

Records by month Southern Hemisphere

Where it's recorded most

Western Treatment PlantAustralia8,434 records
Jerrabomberra Wetlands Nature ReserveAustralia6,381 records
Centennial ParkAustralia2,209 records

More places

Western Treatment Plant – T Section PondsAustralia2,137 records
Tinchi Tamba Wetlands ReserveAustralia2,061 records
Oxley Creek CommonAustralia2,060 records
Townsville Town Common Conservation ParkAustralia2,046 records
Cairns EsplanadeAustralia2,011 records
Hunter Wetlands National Park – Stockton SandspitAustralia1,850 records
Bowra Wildlife SanctuaryAustralia1,826 records

Countries and regions with the most records

Australia New Zealand Norfolk Island Fiji New Caledonia Vanuatu Christmas Island Timor-Leste

eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.

About

The white-faced heron (Egretta novaehollandiae) also known as the white-fronted heron, and incorrectly as the grey heron, or blue crane, is a common bird throughout most of Australasia, including New Guinea, the islands of Torres Strait, Indonesia, New Zealand, and all but the driest areas of Australia.

Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia

Questions

How big is the White-faced Heron?

The White-faced Heron is about ≈53 cm long, with a wingspan of 106 cm and weighs around 559 g.

Where does the White-faced Heron live?

Its breeding range: Australasia: Timor (eastern Lesser Sundas), Australasia to New Caledonia, Fiji and Tonga (southwestern, south-central Polynesia). It is most often recorded in Australia, New Zealand and Norfolk Island.